


Hugo Weasley and The Dark Mark

by megsbreen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dark Mark, Death Eaters, Gen, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts, Hogwarts First Year
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-07-29 12:54:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7685428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsbreen/pseuds/megsbreen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Going to Hogwarts was something Hugo had always been so excited for, being the youngest Weasley, but when a mysterious man bearing a Dark Mark appears on the Burrows doorstep, the fate of Hugo Weasley changes dramatically. Will Hugo be able to make it through Hogwarts without encountering the Dark Arts? Or will he, just like his parents, be thrown into a destiny that he will struggle to fulfil?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Last Night

`Hugo's eyes wandered over to the man sprawled across the floor. He very well knew he shouldn't be looking, but he couldn't help himself. No one had noticed he had crept through the backdoor, but there was no doubt in his mind that his cousins would soon notice the absence of his overwhelmingly loud presence. As soon as the man had stumbled through the door of the Burrow, his hair wild and his eyes glazed, Hugo had become aware of a certain fascination towards him and his mysterious manner, which had only developed when the man suddenly collapsed in a lump on the floor. `

  
`_"Definitely not- should inform the ministry."  
_`

   
`Hugo was only able to hear a fragment of the adults conversation, but from what he could hear it all sounded rather foreboding. A young boy of Hugo's age did not often happen to witness a situation of this sort, let alone jump straight to the conclusion that the man had died in front of him, but Hugo knew that was exactly what had happened. It all seemed like a  _great_ omen for his first day at Hogwarts tomorrow. `

`  
_"...hear what he said?"_` `_"- Mark on his arm..."_`

   
`This was all extremely confusing for Hugo. _A mark on the mans arm, why on Earth was that so bad?_`

` Uncle Harry moved over to the window, his eyebrows furrowed, staring into the distance, which revealed the man's body to Hugo. It came as a disturbance, making Hugo retreat further back into the darkness the door frame was providing for him. The man's eyes were bulging out of his head in a state of fear or shock, his mouth gaped open and, the part the Hugo was most frightened of, on his arm bore a large tattoo, a snake protruding out of a skulls mouth, writhing, before suddenly stopping. Just as sudden as the man had died. Just as sudden as Hugo running out the backdoor to the safety of his cousins. `


	2. Off To Hogwarts

`Like every other year, the station was packed, bustling with people who darted back and forth in every direction. The surprising events of the night before had been whispered in discussion among the young Weasley's, but were quickly cut short by the adult's who deemed the conversation as inappropriate to begin the year on. Hugo just could not get the image of the man out of his head. It was imprinted into the back of his mind, haunting his every thought. The nerves that he once had for starting school had been replaced by the daunting anxiety that something dreadful was about to happen. It was not just the man's body that possessed his mind though; the tattoo was just as alarming for Hugo. He knew what it meant. He had heard enough stories to know that it was the Dark Mark. `

`"Hu?" A familiar voice broke through Hugo's chain of thought and he turned to look at the body which had produced it. "You've been oddly quiet today. Cat got your tongue?" James questioned, as Hugo realised that all their eyes were upon him. Albus, Lily and Rose shared the same concerned expression which James wore. They had all noticed how unusually silent Hugo had been today, which was not at all like him. `

`"Just nervous... I suppose.` `" Hugo replied, his eyes flicking over to look at his parents, Aunt and Uncle who all seemed to be deep in conversation. `

`"Hugo Weasley nervous? I just won't believe it." Lily grinned, approaching the boy. "Anyway, you're gonna get into Gryffindor. Slytherin don't have room for another Weasley, Albus is enough-"`

`" _Hey!_ Watch it, or I might just have to-"`

`"'Have to' what? As if you'd do anything Al, you're as weak as a mouse." James teased, which lead to him receiving a punch from Albus.  The two bickered in the background about who was 'the chosen one's' favourite son, as Lily spoke to Hugo. She was a year older than him, but the two were inseparable. Hugo had found it hard when she had been at Hogwarts last year, and before the previous nights incident Hugo had been excited to join his cousins at Hogwarts, but now he just had a bad feeling about it all. `

`"Hu, you know we'll love you whatever house you get into." Lily reassured him, as Hugo's eyes sunk to the floor. "... But that's not why you're being so quiet, is it? Hugo, you know you can't keep secrets from me." `

`Grabbing Lily's arm, he pulled her away from the others, who were now forcing Rose into telling them who she thought was the better Potter. "It's the man from last night." He informed her in a hushed tone, which was met with a disapproving expression. `

`"Hu seriously? You heard what my Dad said-" `

`"No Lily, it's not nothing... I- I saw him- the man. Dead." Hugo dragged his teeth across his lip, his eyes avoiding her own.`

`" _You did what?"_   She exclaimed, only for Hugo to widen his eyes telling her to lower her tone. "Hugo Weasley what in Dumbledore's name were you thinking!" `

`"I-I was curious Lil. You know me- that's not the point though. He... he had a..." Hugo lips tried to form the words, but he could not. Running a hand across his forehead, he glanced over at the adults, who held the same weight upon their shoulders. `

`"What Hugo? 'He had a' what?"`

`"- ** _A dark mark_**." Hugo's words were rushed, but as soon as Lily heard them her jaw dropped. `

` "But- well... that's impossible.  **All** the Death Eaters are either in Azkaban or working for the ministry. Our parents would know who he was if he was a Death Eater." `

`"I know." Hugo almost interrupted her. "What do you think this means?" `

`Lily pondered for a few short seconds, before letting out a sigh and looking directly at Hugo. "I think it means you should focus on school and let our parents handle this. It's what they're good at after all." `

`Hugo nodded, but secretly his heart knew that their parents knew as much about this as he did and that was not a good sign. A Death Eater they didn't know about, that was bad news. `

 

* * *

 

`"Don't forget to leave your uniform folded and be nice to the elves, they need reassurance that they're worth every bit as much as human's sometimes... oh- and write every week-" `

`"Bloody Hell Hermione, you're gonna see him at Christmas." Ron chuckled, wrapping his arm around her, before looking down at his son. "Just remember what I told you and you'll be fine Hu." `

`"Yes, I know Dad." Hugo nodded with a grin. Now that it was actually time for him to set off to Hogwarts, Hugo could not help but be excited. The whole atmosphere he had missed out on previously was now going to be something he could understand. He was the last Weasley to go to Hogwarts. All of their other cousins had either left already or were about to leave, so he'd heard pretty much every story there was to be told about Hogwarts; what to do, what not to do, yet all of these stories were very different and very contradictory. `

`"What did you tell him Ron?" Hermione's eyes widened at the thought. He could have informed him of a number of things, and in Hermione's mind they all had a really bad outcome. `

`"I just gave our son a few tips on how to get through his first year at Hogwarts, the most important being meeting the love of his life on his first train journey." Hermione blushed at Ron's words and Hugo turned away disgusted at the sight of his parents being...  _cute._`

` The train blew it's whistle and Hugo perked up, a huge grin on his face as he looked around at his other cousin's. James was surrounded by a group of girls showing off his new quill, which he claimed could get passed all of McGonagall's 'no cheating' spells. Albus and Rose were in deep conversation with Scorpius Malfoy, whose glances at Rose were much too obvious, while Lily chatted to a group of Gryffindor's about their predictions for the new Quidditch season. Hugo smiled to himself. He was going to enjoy this. `

`A sudden presence alarmed Hugo, and he turned to only discover it was his Uncle Harry. `

`"How are you feeling?" Harry questioned him. Hugo could not help but notice that his Uncle's eyes looked sunken, as though he had been up all night. `

`"Excited." Hugo replied with a grin, which was answered with a frown from Harry. Hugo's heart raced at the expression on his Uncle's face. He knew. He knew Hugo had seen what he had. Harry was the Chosen One after all, he knew everything. `

`"I know you were hiding in that doorway Hugo." He let out a small, almost undetectable sigh, his lips pursed. "What you saw last night is something no boy your age should have to see, Hu. I want you to understand that I'm sorting the situation out right now, and you don't have to worry about it at all, okay?" Hugo nodded, and this time Harry responded with a wise smile, one that had developed with his age. "Now go! Enjoy your first day of school." `

`"Thanks Uncle Harry." Hugo smiled at him, the image of the man's body flashing in his mind once more, but this time he pushed it to the side. Lily and Uncle Harry were right, he should not worry about it, they had it under control. `

 

* * *

 

`"- Herm- Hermione, love... let him go." Ron attempted to pry his wife's arms from around Hugo, but her grip was strong. She was still whispering words of advice into Hugo's ear, much to Ron's disapproval, but she finally released him from her grasp, her eyes welling, as she patted down her son's hair.`

`"I'm so proud of you Hu- we both are." She looked over at Ron who mirrored her smile.`

`"Mum, I haven't done anything yet." Hugo groaned, running a hand through his hair to scruff it up again.`

`"You're going to make us proud son, I can just tell." Ron leaned forwards slightly and lowered his voice. "As long as you get higher grades than Albus did in those first year exams I'll be proud son. I can't deal with Harry and Ginny harping on about how clever Albus is anymore." `

`Hugo laughed in response to his Dad, his heart racing with excitement. "Love you both." He mumbled, before stepping backwards and walking over to the others. `

`"The last one of us to go to Hogwarts, hey?" Albus messed with Hugo's hair, a wide smirk on his face.`

`" _- Geroff._ " Hugo tried to tackle Albus' hand away, but Albus used his strength to grab him in a headlock, using it as an opportunity to mess with Hugo's hair even more. "Albus, I swear I'll tell all your friends about the Gytrash incident." `

`Albus' hand dropped suddenly, his eyes widening at Hugo, which only made the boy find the whole situation even more humorous. "You wouldn't." `

`"Oh, I would." Hugo grinned, pushing Albus away, his grin only growing as James noticed what had just happened. Shaking his head, Albus sighed before turning to Lily and James. James high-fived Hugo, a smug look plastered onto his face. `

`"Where's Rose?" Lily questioned, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked around the platform. Rose was indeed nowhere to be seen. `

`"Probably off with that Malfoy kid, she has a weird fascination with him." James jumped in. "I hear she has a shrine for him in her dorm."`

`"I can tell you right now that's a lie. It's the other way round. Scorpius has the obsession with Rose." Lily butted in after James, rolling her eyes at her brother. `

`"Don't roll your eyes at me, Lily." `

`"Or what  _James-y,_ you gonna hit me?" She mocked, a smirk on her face. `

`"Both of you are wrong." Albus spoke up before either of them could reply. "Scorpius and Rose have a mutual attraction. Isn't it obvious?" Albus received a judgemental look from both of his siblings, while Hugo found this whole thing utterly entertaining, not caring where Rose was. `

`"Did one of you use Rose and Malfoy in the same sentence, because if you did I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to talk to this kid." `

`"Oh Ronald." Hermione sighed. "Leave her be." `

`" _Leave her be!_ That's a Malfoy we're talking about, he's a  _Slytherin._ " Ron exclaimed, before noticing Albus' less than pleased expression. "No offence of course Al. You know what I mean-"`

`"Is Ron running his big mouth again?" Ginny appeared, a large smile on her face. "Don't worry Albus, Ron's just jealous because he was never as good at Quidditch as you are." Ron's cheeks flushed as he searched for words, but soon enough Hermione came to his rescue with a laugh and he joined in.`

`"How come you alway complement Albus, Mum? It's really degrading." James moaned.`

`"Because Albus is our favourite son." Harry grinned over at the boy, who replied with a sarcastic laugh.`

`"You're just as hilarious as Ron's joke shop." James bit his lip trying to contain his laughter.`

`"Now you listen here-" The whistle for the train blew again interrupting Ron's words much to everyone's amusement.`

`"You better get on the train kids, don't want to be late and have to fly an invisible car to school." Harry chuckled, adjusting his glasses on his head. The only other person who found the joke mildly funny was Ron, everyone else groaned with annoyance.`

`"Enough with the jokes dear." Ginny placed a hand against Harry's chest leaning into him. "We'll love you a lot more for it." Everyone shared a last laugh, before saying their goodbye's and boarding the train, off to Hogwarts once again.  `

 


	3. Friendship, Feuds and Fantasy

`The sun glistened against the windows as Hugo made his way down the corridor. The train was packed full of hundreds of students who were just as excited to get to Hogwarts as Hugo was. It had been a couple of minutes since he had parted ways with his cousins, they had all gone off with their own friends, even though Lily had almost forced Hugo into sitting with her. Evidently Hugo had turned down her offer because he wanted to meet other first years.`

`After about twenty minutes of wandering around unable to find a compartment that was not filled with anyone but first years, Hugo stumbled across a carriage where three boys sat. They all seemed to be contently chatting away about something interesting. Opening the door, all of the boys turned their heads to look at Hugo.`

`"Is there room for one more?" Hugo questioned them, a hopeful look on his face, knowing that if this did not work he would have to retreat and find Lily. `

`"Yeah! Of course." The boy on the right, who had no one sitting next to him, replied. Hugo recognised the boy for some reason or another. His dark brown scruffy hair and cheeky grin reminded Hugo of someone, but he just could not figure out who. "I'm Alfie McLaggen." `

`"Oh, I thought I recognised you. My cousin, James, is friends with your brother." Hugo informed him, taking the seat next to the boy who had introduced himself as Alfie. `

`"Which one? I have several." Alfie laughed, a grin spreading onto his face. `

`"Brandon." Hugo nodded. At least he though that was his name, after all he'd only met him once at James' fifteenth birthday party. It had gotten a bit wild though when James had succeeded at letting off several fireworks, and in the process set the Burrow on fire. It was a great way for Hugo to be introduced to the lifestyle he would be living at Hogwarts. `

`"Bradley?" `

`"I knew I'd got his name wrong." Hugo laughed along with the other boy. He knew straight away that he was going to get along with Alfie, they both had that charm about them. Actually, they both looked similar, the same scruffy brown hair and cheeky grins, although Hugo's hair was a slightly lighter brown. `

`One of the two boys sitting opposite them who had been quiet up until now perked up when Hugo looked over at him. This boy had the brightest blonde hair Hugo had ever seen, it was almost as light as Scorpius Malfoy and that was saying something. He was a lot smaller than the other two boys, and his face seemed to reveal his emotions before he even spoke. "I'm Blake Webber." `

`"And I'm Matt King." The final boy informed Hugo, a wide smile on his face as he leaned back in his seat. His hair was a dark charcoal black, while his eyes shone out like a clear blue Mediterranean sea. "And you're Hugo Weasley." The boy's folded arms made Hugo suspicious. He had wanted to introduce himself, he hated it when people knew him already and only wanted information about his family. `

`"I didn't even know there was a Weasley called Hugo." Alfie laughed, a confused look on his face, which of course only made Hugo feel more isolated. Often he was the one Weasley no one knew about. His older cousins had all been to Hogwarts and made their own mark upon the school, which just meant that Hugo would never be remembered for anything he did because at least one of his cousins had done it first. Even now, James, Albus, Rose and Lily would steal the limelight away from him. James was a joker, he could make  _anyone_ and  _everyone_ laugh. Albus was popular, attractive and smart, Rose was just as impressive as Albus. They were a duo act, both of them were as great as the other. Lily was sarcastic and fiery, while having the potential to be one of the best Quidditch players the school has ever seen. Hugo was just loud and happened to find himself in difficult situations most of the time. `

`"Well here I am." Hugo responded, almost annoyed that he had not been able to go an hour without thinking about his family. He loved them, but sometimes space from their reputation was what he needed. "How did you know?" `

`"My Dad said the last Weasley was going to Hogwarts today. I saw you standing with them and assumed that you must be Hugo."  _Them._ Matt made it sound as thought the Weasley's were some exclusive club that everyone wanted access to, which Hugo supposed it was seen as no one would be able to easily join. `

`"Anyway, are you excited to go to Hogwarts Hu- do you mind if I call you Hu?" Alfie jumped in and Hugo was glad of it. `

`"Go for it. Of course I am. I've been waiting to go to Hogwarts forever." Hugo exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. "What house do you wanna get into?" `

`"I've been teasing my Dad for ages about getting into Slytherin. He obviously never found it as funny as I did- I guess I'd prefer if I was put into Gryffindor, but hey whatever." Alfie laughed. There was no doubt in Hugo's mind that Alfie would end up being sorted into Gryffindor.`

`"My whole family have been put into Ravenclaw, but to be totally honest I'd rather be anything but." Matt informed them, the sly smirk never leaving his face. Something about him made Hugo distrust him immediately, yet he was pretty sure it was just because of the arrogant act Matt put on, but who could blame him, Matt had only really associated himself with Ravenclaw's, who were, to be quite frank, rude. `

`Hugo knew he wanted to be a Gryffindor, it was all he had ever wanted. After seeing all but one of his cousins get into the same house he just wanted to follow in their footsteps. Weasley's were Gryffindor's through and through, he did not want to be another Albus. Ron might pretend to be proud of Hugo, but deep down Hugo knew that Ron would not be able to deal with it, especially if he ended up in Slytherin. "I'm a Weasley, Gryffindor is the only house I want." Hugo grinned, the thought of being sorted into Gryffindor made him excited. "How about you Blake?" `

`"Me?" The blonde haired boy looked around at the faces which stared so intently at him. "I- I... don't know. I'm a Muggle-born." `

`"Dude!" Alfie exclaimed, jumping up and down in his seat for a few seconds. "We  **have** to tell you about the houses!"`

`"Really? You would do that?" Blake looked so timid, as though he was worried that the people here might not accept him for who he was. He had heard the stories about Muggle-born's being treated differently, and most of them had turned out badly. `

`"Of course. You can't go to Hogwarts not having a clue about the houses." Matt replied, as all three of the boys looked excitedly at Blake.`

`"Might as well start with Hufflepuff. They're loyal, dedicated, kind, and all that stuff- you know? I guess in my opinion they're just a bit too nice." Alfie laughed with a shrug. "And then there is Ravenclaw-" `

`"I'll take one for the team. Seen as I know the most about them." Matt interrupted. While his statement may have been correct, Alfie was taken aback but his interruption, and concealed his annoyance by looking out of the window. "They're both smart and creative, while being totally motivated. They would definitely not mind backstabbing you to win, that's happened to me a good few times." Matt chuckled out a laugh, and Hugo watched, with much amusement, as Alfie rolled his eyes. "Oh- and they like to think about consequences-"`

`"Yeah- whatever. Now onto the best house. Gryffindor." Hugo had examined Alfie and decided that to interrupt Matt would probably be a good idea. "They're brave, daring, heroic-" `

`"More like arrogant and reckless." Matt interrupted, obviously still bitter about Hugo cutting him off. `

`"You get the point." Hugo glared over at Matt, sitting back in his chair. Alfie smirked over at him, the two of them sharing eye contact, which conveyed their true feelings about Matt. `

`"So there's Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor? I'm sure you mentioned one more- Sly... Sly? Sly something." Blake raised an eyebrow at the boys sat around him, the tension in the carriage rising. Letting out a small sigh, Hugo leaned forwards slowly, running a hand through his hair. `

`"Slytherin. That's the last house." Hugo told Blake, an air of displeasure in his voice. "Do everything you can to avoid being in Slytherin." Both Alfie and Matt nodded their heads in agreement as Hugo turned to look out of the window. He did not want to say anymore about the house. Even though Albus was a Slytherin it did not mean that Hugo liked the house. Albus just happened to share several traits with Gryffindor also, which was unlike many of his fellow housemates. They were sly, cunning and mean, often achieving everything with the utmost determination. `

`"What's so bad about them?" Blake questioned. `

`"They're bad people." Alfie told him. Hugo could not even imagine being sorted into Slytherin, and then having to parade around in their green and silver robes. He would rather run away. `

`"Some of the worst witches and wizards came from Slytherin. If you're in Slytherin you've got your path laid out for you." Matt whispered, as though he was attempting to avoid being heard by anyone. The look upon Blake's face worried Hugo. It was as though the boy was intrigued by Slytherin. As though he did not want to take their warnings, like he wanted to be in Slytherin. `

 

* * *

 

`A couple of hours had passed since they had boarded the Hogwarts Express and after several visits from Lily, who was apparently worried about Hugo finding a way to get lost on the train, Hugo was more than ready to reach Hogwarts. The swarming darkness of the night was swallowing up the landscape outside, which could only mean one thing; they were close to their destination. The boys had got changed a couple of hours ago, again after Lily had insisted it, all of them were too scared to disagree with her. `

`A knock on the glass window sprung Hugo alert, as he turned his head to seek the source of the noise. Two girls pulled back the latch on the door, rolling it open. The blonde haired girl had a wide grin upon her face, her blue eyes glancing over at Hugo for a few short seconds. The other girl had brown hair, she was taller than the first, but wore a similar grin on her face. `

`"I'm Jo." The blonde girl stated as she sat down next to Blake, who seemed surprised by the sudden jumping movement from the girl. "And that's Evangeline, I call her Evie. She doesn't talk much though-" `

`"I wonder why." Alfie murmured, his sarcasm making Hugo snigger, while Jo frowned. `

`"I'm very sorry to have bothered you, seen as you seem to think that getting to know your fellow first years isn't necessary." She growled, crossing her arms and glaring at Alfie. Before he could dig himself into a deeper hole, Matt leaned forwards and held out his hand for her to shake. `

`"I'm Matt. Ignore Alfie, at this rate he'll be getting sorted into Slytherin." Matt chuckled, which brightened the girl up again. Alfie hardly flinched at the comment, not wanting to rise to Matt's teasing. He had already learned from the past couple of hours that if he reacted it just meant he would be the victim of more of Matt's awful jokes. `

`"Well it's awfully nice to meet you Matt, even if your friend is so very rude-" `

`"I didn't think he was rude." Evie perked up, looking over at Alfie who could not help but smile at the girl's words. The others simply ignored what the girl had said, just so that they could avoid the tense atmosphere again. Instead Jo looked at the boy she was sitting next to and raised an eyebrow. `

`"Who are you?" The problem with Jo, from what Hugo had seen so far, was that she did not have a filter. Her curiosity overcame her and she would speak her mind. Hugo found it all rather entertaining. `

`"Bla- Blake." The boy stuttered, evidently shocked by the girls' extremely forward attitude. `

`"Do you always stutter?" She questioned him. Hugo bowed his head to look at his hands, attempting to hide the laugh that was tempting to slip from his lips. In the corner of his eye he noticed Alfie's eyes squint over at Jo, his eyebrows furrowed. Evidently, Alfie still disliked the girl just as much as when she had first walked in. `

`"I think that's quite enough for today. I suggest you get lost." Alfie demanded standing up, and looking down at the girl, who had left Blake even more stunned for words. `

`"You can't tell me what to do." Jo mirrored Alfie, standing up and glaring back at him. The two looked as though they were about to launch themselves at each other in a frenzy of clenched fists.`

`"Well I am." Alfie growled in return, while everyone watched on intrigued, apart from Evie who observed with a smug look upon her face. Letting out a sigh, Hugo stood up, creating a barrier between the two forces, wearing a less than impressed look. He did not enjoy being the one to split up a good fight, but he really did not feel like now would be a great time for one. `

`"Just go." Hugo tilted his head at the girl, who relaxed her face at the interference. She began to speak, but Hugo shook his head at her. "Go." `

`Jo listened, a deep frown marking her face, as she turned the corner, she stopped. "Who are you?" `

`Hugo turned his head to look at her, his face widening with his complacent grin.`

`"I'm Hugo Weasley." `

 

* * *

 

`Dim lights lit up the platform as the train rumbled to a stop. One single lamp bobbed it's way down the walkway, before placing itself firmly beside the large, yet hardly noticeable signpost reading 'Hogsmeade Station'. Hugo managed to push his way through the group of people lining up to get out of the train and made his way towards the lamp, which now obviously had a large man holding it, the very man who was bellowing, "Firs'-years! Firs'-years! This way!" Hugo immediately recognised the man, or half-man, half-giant, as Rubeus Hagrid.`

`"How yeh bin, Hugo?" Hagrid grinned widely over at the boy who had joined his fellow first years, gathered around Hagrid. "Excited fer yeh firs' day at Hogwarts?" `

`"Of course!" Hugo exclaimed. "I've been waiting for this day for years-" Hugo was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of his cousin James, who had managed to travel around quicker than Viktor Krum on a broom. `

`"Hagrid, I've-" James lowered his voice. "- got that stuff you wanted... oh hey Hu." James noticed his cousin standing next to the large figure, Hugo nodded in reply.`

`"Wha' stuff? I dunno 'bout no stuff." Hagrid hurried a response, they seemed to think that Hugo did not know that James was bringing food for a secret pet Hagrid was looking after. It never lasted long, but at least it kept Hagrid happy. `

`"I'll come down to your cabin tomorrow." With that James glanced at Hugo with a grin, the grin that all blood relatives of the Weasley's seemed to often wear. "Good luck Hu, not that you'll need it." James patted Hugo on the shoulder and began to walk away, turning back once to confirm his first statement. "Tomorrow Hagrid." Hagrid let out a chuckle as James walked away, muttering something underneath his breath that Hugo could not hear. `

`"Hey, I was trying to find you. Thought you'd disappeared." Alfie had finally caught up to Hugo, a worried smile overpowering his face. Alfie did not seem the type to get worried, yet here he was. There was a silence between the boys as Hugo studied Alfie's actions.`

`"You'll be great." Hugo smiled. "It's in your blood, or so I hear from my mum. Apparently you're Dad used to boast about his brilliance all the time." `

`"Shut up." Alfie laughed, his nervous look wiped from his face in a few short seconds. The two boys grinned at each other, the cold breeze hitting their faces with a sharp bite.`

`"Firs'-years follow me! This way ter the boats!"`

`This was it. The start of the rest of their lives. `


End file.
